Lingering Feelings
by R. Fielding
Summary: Arle meets Ringo to talk about her crush on her. Ringox(Dark Arle). Not really a ship fic.


_Dear Ringo,_

 _I have a crush on you… (Well it's more complicated than that…) But I can't admit it outloud._

 _I want to talk to you. Meet me at the park at midnight, the one with the playground. I'll greet you with the phrase: "Hello, Apple."_

 _From: Your admirer…_

Ringo read the written letter over once more. She was curious about this admirer she gained in Primp. Pondering about it all afternoon throughout the evening.

She wasn't bad looking, but rather plain. She didn't go out of her way to look pretty for anyone.

Aside from Maguro, who often did in jest, no boys ever flirt with her. This was gonna be a new experience for her.

"I swear if this is Ecolo toying with me again…" She mumbled to herself sitting on the playground carousel.

"'Fraid not… Hello, Apple." A muffled voice spoke behind the carousel. Ringo turned the whole thing to see a strange person in trench coat, fedora and sunglasses and a scarf hiding the face.

Judging by the figure, this coated person was around her age and female. Ringo flinched a little making the coat flinch too.

"S-Sorry about that, I don't swing that way."

"I know…" The figure sighed, staring aside into space. Sounded not surprised, but not definitely happy about it. "I'm in love with you, but I'm not here to ask you out." The voice was obviously fake.

"…So, gonna explain yourself? Are you gonna unmask yourself or make thing creepys by keeping them on?"

The coat wearer took a deep breath in. "It's not gonna get much better, Ringo…" She took of the things obscuring her face. Ringo was surprised to say the least.

"Arle?" She tilted her head.

"Yes…" She glanced to the side again… Looking really defeated.

Ringo, confused, gestured for her friend to sit next to her. Arle did so.

Ringo could hear her heavy and shaky breathing. "So…" This was really awkward to her. "How long have you had the hots for me?"

"…It started when you rescued me from Ecolo."

"Really? That was some time ago."

"You have no idea…"

"I never noticed. You shouldn't bottle feelings up like that."

"I didn't want to freak out my rescuer…"

"H-How often do you think of me in a romantic sense?" The interviewer blushed.

"Too much." Arle had a hard time breathing admitting it. "I have a hard time concentrating, eating, etc. without you on my mind as of late. Makes me feel so bad for ever chastising Rulue and Satan. Give me enough time I'm no better than them towards you." Arle's voice cracked.

Ringo can't recall if she saw Arle ever this vulnerable. She was on the verge of tears. She invited her for a hug. Arle warped her arms Ringo's waist. She gasped.

"Sorry!"

"No, it's okay." Ringo blushed.

"If you say so…"

"…"

Ringo had something to think about. Arle was attracted to her. Ringo was straight. Arle was kinda acting odd, she did not seem to be happy about this fact. 'She trying to spit it out?'

If she rejected her she'd potentially lose a good friend. And she did value that…

First she did want pose a self-indulgent question, for science. "So… Uhmmm… What about do you like about me?" She rubbed the back of her neck.

"I don't know!" Arle cried, squeezing Ringo. "I keep thinking of why, but they're just observersations like you're smart, you have curly pigtails and you're plain."

"..." Ringo wasn't sure to be offended by that last one.

The two kept quiet for a while…

"...I can try to make it work(?)" Ringo proposed.

"No!"

"Huh?"

"I want you to reject me…" She spoke against her wishes.

"But… Don't you want me?"

"No! I don't!" Arle bawled, slapping her friend and immediately rubbing the place she slapped. She's not thinking straight. "These feeling aren't mine."

"You sure?… It sounds like they're your feelings."

"No it isn't! And I'll show you!" Arle stood up, standing in front of Ringo, unbuttoning her trench coat.

Ringo noticed after the first button that Arle wasn't wearing a shirt. She barely saw the bra straps. "U-u-u-h… Arle? Wh-why're you showing me your boobs?"

Arle's face grew red. Closing her eyes from embarrassment. "This is more awkward then that." She assured. "Look at this!" She exposed her breasts, bra and... something else...

Ringo instinctively shielded her eyes. But when she peeked she saw something unfortunately familiar on her friend's chest.

A blue, spinning, otherworldly core.

"Ecolo! How dare you humiliate Arle like that! She likes privacy just like anyone else!" She scolded, furious at the space-time traveler.

"Heh. I wish. There's no Ecolo here..."

"What?"

"That pest imprinted on me. Whether he did it intentionally or not. If I don't catch myself I drool buckets full. I have to stop myself from doing something lethally stupid to everyone I know. But did he leave behind the cool stuff he can do? The ability to travel home, maybe? No! Just his feelings and some emotions!" Arle sat back down, crying.

"They're really are not your feelings, huh." 'Didn't think Ecolo felt _this_ strongly about me...'

"Yes! Here I am, a girl with no interested in romance. Yet my panties get wet just thinking about you. These conflicting thoughts hurt my head. Two sets of feelings sucks!"

Arle kicked the ground in frustration. Making them spin a little.

"So just reject me… Envision me as Ecolo and tell me to buzz off. Put me in the… uh. How did your world put it again?"

"Thinking of the friendzone?"

"That's it!" Suddenly, a switch visibly went off in her head. "Ando Ringo. Will you be girlfriend?" She asked sheepishly.

Ringo looked into Arle's longing eyes, her body and her words were clearly not on the same level. She was kinda cute like this. A side of her no one's ever seen.

"No." She muttered out with no effort.

"Mmmmmmmmgh." Arle suddenly hugged her again, on the same level this time. "Sorry, I just want you more now." She cried into her clothes.

"Eh… Could you please not drool!"

Arle didn't listen, she wanted to be as close as possible. Ringo tried forcing her friend off of her. This getting too much for her.

She pushed her away enough to get a good look at Arle's chest again, and the core that infests her.

Ringo pulled out the core. And Arle stopped, checked out her chest, smiled. She immediately hugged Ringo again, but a lot tighter than before.

"Thank you so much, Ringo!" So happy she sounded. "I feel like myself again~"

"Ci-tation… needed. Ech." Ringo choked.

"Sorry." She broke the hug. She stared at her core in Ringo's hand.

"Why didn't you take it out yourself?"

"I thought it would kill me if I did… Guess I was wrong. Thank goodness for that…" She was still so relieved over this. Arle continued staring at the former piece of her… "So what are you gonna do with that?"

"I don't know. Put it in a jar, let it be studied and then maybe give it back to Ecolo."

"Sounds good? See you tomorrow?"

"Of course." Ringo smiled, I've gotten even better at underwater rules now.

"Ooo. I envy you, always have trouble with that one. Can't wait. Good night." Arle put on her sunglasses, scarf and hat and walked off.

"Your coat's still open."

"Aaaa!"

"Speaking of which… Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"I've been part Ecolo for months, okay? It's a wonder I could keep myself together for this long."

 **This is no allegory for gay conversion therapy. That's wrong. This fits nowhere in the timeline, I just wanted to write it. Like this was too good to pass up. :P Thanks for reading!**


End file.
